The True Traitor
by Shadow Star.EXE
Summary: Shadow the Hedgehog fic. Contains theory. Who was the cause for the ARK's destruction? How did the government find out about Shadow? Who now suffers the guilt of betrayal for what he did fifty years ago? Answer: The one who survived it all.


_**The True Traitor**_

G.U.N Commander Abraham Tower sat in his chair, his mind still in turmoil over the recent events. Over the course of forty eight hours, Central City had been destroyed by black aliens and it seemed like it was the end of mankind. When the final hour seemed to draw near, his biggest enemy and reason for fifty years of hatred had come through to save them all. Around him, his colleagues and even the president were celebrating and cheering to the Black Comet's demise but the commander was in no state to be celebrating.

He couldn't even crack a smile when the president put an arm around him and made a proclamation to pay homage to Professor Gerald to assure peace. He half-heartedly agreed and pulled away to go to his private office. No one noticed his departure. Everyone was too busy either celebrating or attempting to resume their work.

_"I can't believe...all those years ago...he wasn't the bad one, after all..."_

Abraham sat down at his desk and pulled open one of the bottom drawers. He reached inside and pulled out a faded sepia photograph of him at the age of seven. He was being hugged by a slightly older girl wearing a dress. It wasn't easy to tell by the photograph, but the girl had blond hair and blue eyes. Her smile was bright and cheery and he felt guilt creep up on him.

It was all his fault she could never smile again.

Shadow wasn't the horrifying creature.

It was _him._

He would never forget the screams of the people on the ARK as they were shot to death by the soldiers. His own mother and father were killed that very day. His whole life had changed and he dedicated it to bringing down the creature who was at fault for the ARK being destroyed.

Fifty years made no difference now. Abraham Tower, cold hearted G.U.N Commander, felt like a child again...the same child who had snitched to the government about Shadow and the Ultimate Lifeform project. All because he was scared of Shadow and jealous of all the attention Maria lavished on him.

Maria used to belong to him. They were the only children on the ARK...

...until that horrible day.

_-Flashback: Fifty Years Ago-_

_Young Abraham Tower watched furiously as Maria and Shadow held hands and gazed down at the blue Earth below. The girl who had once been like a sister to him had practically abandoned him for that freak of science. What had she seen in him that he didn't see? Or...what did he see in that creature that Maria didn't see?_

_Didn't Maria know how Shadow was created? Didn't she realize her grandfather was insane? He was working with a monster to produce Shadow! That monster looked pure evil, which made Shadow evil too. Was Maria in on the plot as well?_

_No. Impossible. Not pure and gentle Maria. Shadow must have her convinced that he's not evil. The thought filled Abraham with fury. Somehow he had to save her._

_His parents had instructed him on how to make contact with the planet below, in case there was an emergency and help was urgently needed. He had to get to the computer room and make a connection to the government's server. Once that was done, he could speak to someone and call for help right away. Someone would put an end to Shadow's unnatural life and save them all._

_Once Shadow was gone, Maria would finally pay attention to him again. He was her little almost brother. And soon he'd be a hero._

_-End Flashback-_

What a dumb little kid he was. His jealousy and misunderstanding was what caused the demise of the ARK. Right after he had called for help, G.U.N soldiers had arrived to shut down the ARK. Their plan was to kill Shadow and everyone who knew about him to cover up Gerald's 'dangerous' experiment. Unfortunately, everyone on the ARK knew about Shadow, including his parents. G.U.N had murdered them all and declared the ARK's demise _a terrible 'accident'._

Only he, Abraham Tower, had survived.

And why?

Because he was the snitch.

G.U.N had taken the child and planted ideas in his head. How he had done a wonderful thing and saved the planet from a terrible fate. And how it was all Shadow's fault the ARK was to be abandoned and the people who lived there died.

Abraham was only seven when it all happened. He was too young to be on his own. Since he was the one who had made the call, he had been allowed to live and the then-current G.U.N Commander had adopted him and raised him to become his successor.

_-Flashback: Fifty Years Ago-_

_Abraham was put on a shuttle back to Earth. He was huddled in his seat, crying softly. The screams and anguish of the people who were shot wouldn't leave his head. His parents...Maria...all the kind people who looked after him...they were gone._

_The G.U.N Commander put a hand to the little boy's shoulder. "Kid, you did a great service. I'm sorry about your parents and friends, but you understand why it happened, right?" Abraham shook his head. "It's because they wanted to protect that experiment. The experiment had them all thinking it was for the better of mankind. They wanted to stop us. We had no choice. It was all the experiment's fault, kid."_

_"Shadow..." Abraham muttered. It was all Shadow's fault. He should never have been created. Hate started to fill the child and he made a fist._

_"Listen, boy, don't you worry about a thing. I'm taking you home to Earth and putting you in a good home...mine, in fact. My wife can't have kids and I always wanted a son to raise and follow in my footsteps. You're gonna be alright, kid. That's a promise."_

_"Follow in your footsteps?" Abraham asked._

_"How would you like to be just like me? One day, kid, you'll be in charge of all of G.U.N. You'll be the commander to hundreds of soldiers who guard the planet and keep it safe from people who are out to do it and the people harm. What do you say?"_

_Abraham thought about it. He remembered Maria saying how much she loved the planet and how she hoped they could all be happy. This was his opportunity to do just what she wished for._

_"I want to be like you. Please teach me."_

_-End Flashback-_

A child is so easy to manipulate. Abraham realized this with a sickening feeling in his stomach. Unfortunately, it didn't change any facts at all. He had betrayed the whole ARK and was the cause for its demise.

He could attempt to make amends. His daughter was pregnant and due in a month and he was planning on retiring soon. Perhaps Shadow could take over his position. He could try and set a friendship with Shadow and follow the president's creed of paying homage to Gerald and working for a peaceful future. He could command all of G.U.N to work on reconstructing the destroyed cities and rebuilding the many broken lives that had been shattered by the Black Arms' invasion.

Yes, he could do all these things. But no matter what he did, he could never erase the terrible mistake of his past.

He, Abraham Tower, was the true traitor.

* * *

**I recently replayed Shadow the Hedgehog and a lot of questions sprung up in my mind as I played. Namely, how was the ARK destroyed? Sega never fully elaborated on it.**

**I was talking to my best friend, Flare Dragoness Reshiram, and a theory sprung into my mind. The commander of G.U.N had revealed himself to be someone who lived on the ARK and someone who witnessed Shadow's creation. He was close to Maria as well. However, it was also revealed that everyone on the ARK was killed when G.U.N broke in to get rid of Shadow. No one was spared, not even Maria, who was a child back then. So why did the commander survive? **

**There was an interesting hint in 'The Doom' level, one of the flashback levels. When you're partnered with Doom's Eye, he says, "Even the ARK'S best defense system means nothing if there is a traitor working on the inside." However, who this traitor is and what motives they had for betraying the ARK were never revealed. (Of course, Doom could have been lying, but he might have been telling the truth.)**

**Basing the facts that the commander thought Shadow was an evil creature, he survived the ARK's destruction when no one else didn't, he became the commander as he got older and Black Doom's hint, I believe that it was him who snitched out Shadow to the government. After all, the ARK was a lab in outer space. How did they find out about Shadow? Why were soldiers sent to destroy Gerald's work? Someone had to tell them that the work on the ARK had suddenly become 'dangerous' and the only one who could have done it was someone on the ARK in the first place.**

**I decided to give him his Archie comic name because just calling him 'Commander' throughout the story would have sounded stupid. The Archie comic name is nothing official from Sega, nor is it canon, but it's the closest thing I could find to an actual name for him. He literally only goes by G.U.N Commander in everything he appears in.**


End file.
